F. Holland Day American, 1864-1933

F. Holland Day (b.1864-1933), was a wealthy eccentric and philanthropist from Massachusetts. A partner in the publishing firm, Copeland and Day, which he founded in 1884, Day published exquisite, small edition, handbound volumes of works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his friend Oscar Wilde. Although Copeland and Day published ninety-eight books and periodicals, the publishing firm was never financially successful.

 

Day began photographing in 1886 and he would write extensively about photography as a fine art and organized international photography exhibitions to further his claims. Day’s photographs were controversial for their unconventional depictions of religious subject matters and the male nudity that he frequently employed. Day favored platinum prints which are distinguished due to their fine details and ability to capture and render a full range of soft tones. In a fire in 1904, Day lost two thousand prints and negatives. The few that survived were sent to the Royal Photographic Society in the 1930s. During World War I, due to the shortage of platinum, printing was expensive and eventually became impossible; Day began to lose interest in photography and twenty years later, he passed away.